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Extra Virgin on Wheels: Bruschetta To Go

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This week on
Extra Virgin, Debi and I volunteer our time for an important Los Angeles charity,
Midnight Mission. Our contribution is to cook up a few Italian specialities and sell them on the
Vesuvio Food Truck to a very hungry crowd. All the proceeds are going to The Midnight Mission!

Meatballs and
arancini are real treats in Tuscany, but
bruschetta is a staple. It's served in every home; in every bar as early as 11 am, when people get out of the office for a glass of
prosecco or a traditional
spuma (a light Italian soda); and as an appetizer for every event you might attend. But any time of the day is good for
bruschetta, and the variety of toppings used is incredibly abundant, and seasonal.

The traditional
bruschetta is topped with chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil and extra virgin olive oil. But it is also easy to come across
bruschetta topped with mushrooms, black kale, cannellini beans, sausage and
stracchino, a soft cheese.

I remember coming home from school when I was a kid, doing my homework and ending up on the kitchen floor playing LEGOS with my brother. If we were starving and dinner was not yet ready, guess what our mom would serve us... you got it—
bruschetta.

What fascinates me the most about
bruschetta is its origin. In medieval times, servants living and working in private homes did not own anything but a blanket to cover themselves with at night, basically one step above slavery. They did not own plates or silverware, and their diet mainly consisted of dinner scraps. They loaded slices of simple, unsalted bread—in those times, salt was a precious currency that only the wealthy could afford—with whatever sauce and leftovers they found in the pots and pans used to cook their employers' dinner. And this is what
bruschetta is: unsalted peasant bread, covered with simple sauces, leftovers, or anything else that pleases.

It is really not so different from
scarpetta, the tradition of cleaning your plate after a meal with a piece of bread. You would never clear a plate with a few remaining bits of delicious sauce at the bottom.

In Tuscany the tradition has remained the same, and
bruschetta is only served on unsalted bread. Here in the U.S., things are a bit different. I tried everywhere to find simple wood-fire baked unsalted bread, but it appears that a flavorless loaf is not something that appeals to many. I have my own recipe, which I will have to share soon. I bake it at least twice a month, not so much for the flavor—again, it has none—but more for the memories that it brings back to me. (Also it is good for my diet—how could you stuff yourself on bread that has no flavor?)

In Tuscany, it is not mandatory to toast the bread for
bruschetta. However, I grew up on a farm where there's a tradition every November and December to celebrate the first press of our olive oil. It is a really big deal, and we honor our liquid gold by toasting slices of bread in the fireplace, and pairing them with the fresh olive oil, boiled
cavolo nero (Tuscan black kale), and a few glasses of
vino novello (new wine). It has been a tradition for my family since I can remember, and I miss it very much!

One thing I have seen hunters do in Tuscany is shoot a couple of loads of pellets into an old pan, which they will then use to toast bread or chestnuts during winter! If
you'd like to toast your bread for
bruschetta, you can either broil it quickly in your oven, or on a grill. I would not recommend using a regular electric toaster, as I find it dries up the bread too much.

There are really no secrets, special tricks or limitations to the kind of sauces and toppings you can try on your
bruschetta. Make it a personal affair, and make sure to dress it with the best olive oil you can get your hands on. One of my personal favorites, usually prepared in the midst of winter, is with rabbit stew. It is delicate, yet loaded with flavors and aromas of herbs like fresh bay leaves and rosemary. It is a real traditional hunter's recipe.

One tip: Never assemble your
bruschetta too long before serving it—the bread will get soggy! This can be a real problem, not just for overall texture, but also for your guests when the bread tears and the topping spills all over! Slice the bread and set it aside, and keep your topping of choice in a bowl until you are ready to serve it.

The real beauty of
bruschetta is that it is always appropriate to serve—a dish of very humble origin that is enjoyed by everybody. It is inexpensive, quick to prepare, allows for creativity, and is a great way to finish your leftovers.

Buon Appetito!

Gabriele

Watch Gabriele and Debi Mazar cook meals from their home every Wednesday night at 10pm ET/ 9pm CT on Cooking Channel.

Sometimes, the fewer the ingredients, the better. So is the case at the new location of Frankies Spuntino at 570 Hudson Street in Manhattan. Chef/owners Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo have let classic Italian dishes shine by focusing on essential ingredients like amazing extra-virgin olive oil and heaps of fresh garlic in their grandma's dining room-style restaurant.

A well-stocked pantry makes whipping up delicious Italian meals a snap. Countless dishes can be made from ingredients on hand, but with a quick dash through the express line for perishables, the options are limitless.